different between impression vs countenance

English

Etymology

From Old French impression, from Latin impressio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?p????n/
• Rhymes: -???n

Noun

impression (plural impressions)

1. The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.

2. The overall effect of something, e.g., on a person.

3. A vague recalling of an event, a belief.

4. An impersonation, an imitation of the mannerisms of another individual.
5. An outward appearance.
6. (advertising) An online advertising performance metric representing an instance where an ad is shown once.
   • 2010, Dusty Reagan, Twitter Application Development For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons (?ISBN), page 329:

     Publishers are paid for each ad impression their site generates.

7. (painting) The first coat of colour, such as the priming in house-painting etc.
8. (engraving) A print on paper from a wood block, metal plate, etc.
9. (philosophy) The vivid perception of something as it is experienced, in contrast to ideas or thoughts drawn from memory or the imagination.

Related terms

• impressionability
• impressionable
• impressional
• impressionism
• impressionist
• impressive
• under the impression

Translations

Verb

impression (third-person singular simple present impressions, present participle impressioning, simple past and past participle impressioned)

1. To manipulate a blank key within a lock so as to mark it with impressions of the shape of the lock, which facilitates creation of a duplicate key.
   • 2007, Graham Pulford, High-Security Mechanical Locks: An Encyclopedic Reference (page 55)

     The trick in impressioning a key is to remove only a small amount of the blank, by filing or cutting, from the pin positions where impressions have been left.

Anagrams

• permission

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin impressi?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.p??.sj??/, /??.p?e.sj??/

Noun

impression f (plural impressions)

1. an impression, the overall effect of something.
2. the indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on another.
3. a print, print-out

Derived terms

• faire bonne impression
• impressionnant
• impressionner
• impressionnisme
• impressionniste

Related terms

• empreindre
• imprimer
• imprimerie
• imprimante
• imprimable

Descendants

• Romanian: impresiune, impresie

Further reading

• “impression” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• méprisions

English

Alternative forms

• countenaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English contenaunce, countenaunce, from Anglo-Norman countenance and Old French contenance, from the present participle of contenir, or from Late Latin continentia, and therefore a doublet of continence.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?ka?n.t?.n?ns/, /?ka?n.t?n.?ns/, /?ka?nt.n?ns/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): [k??æ??.???.n?ns]

Noun

countenance (countable and uncountable, plural countenances)

1. Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face.
   • , Genesis 4:5

     But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
2. Favour; support; encouragement.
   • September 8, 1706, Francis Atterbury, a sermon

     This is the magistrate's peculiar province, to give countenance to piety and virtue, and to rebuke vice.

3. (obsolete) Superficial appearance; show; pretense.
   • c. 1570, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster

     The election being done, he made countenance of great discontent thereat.

4. Calm facial expression, composure, self-control.

Synonyms

• see also Thesaurus:countenance

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

countenance (third-person singular simple present countenances, present participle countenancing, simple past and past participle countenanced)

1. (transitive) To tolerate, support, sanction, patronise or approve of something.

   The cruel punishment was countenanced by the government, although it was not officially legal.

   • 1937, Willa Muir and Edwin Muir (translators), The Trial, (Der Prozess 1925, Franz Kafka), Vintage Books (London), pg. 99

     For the Defence was not actually countenanced by the Law, but only tolerated, and there were differences of opinion even on that point, whether the Law could be interpreted to admit such tolerances at all.

Synonyms

• (tolerate, support): approve, sanction, support, tolerate

Translations

References

• countenance in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• countenance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Old French

Alternative forms

• contenance
• contennaunce
• continance

Etymology

From contenant, the present participle of contenir, with the suffix -ance, corresponding to Late Latin continentia. See also continence.

Noun

countenance f (oblique plural countenances, nominative singular countenance, nominative plural countenances)

1. (Anglo-Norman) appearance; countenance
   • e moustre par contenance q'il ad honte de ceo q'il ad fet

     And he showed by his appearance that he was ashamed of what he had done.

Related terms

• contenant
• contenir

Descendants

• English: countenance
• French: contenance

References

• contenance on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub